The Difference a Century Makes

How much has the Chadakoin riverfront in Jamestown changed over 100 years?

The first photo here was taken around 1915, a time when the river was still dominated by industrial uses. Looking north from Jones Hill toward downtown, you see a river lined with lumber -- some of it destined for the city's furniture factories. Within a few years, the Furniture Mart (1917) would rise in the center of the frame as a vertical exhibition center for the city's furniture makers.

The second photo, taken in the summer of 2014, shows the Furniture Mart framed by Jamestown's expanding Riverwalk. The Riverwalk, which has grown in phases since the late 1970s, will take a leap forward in 2015/2016 with the addition of two new pedestrian bridges and new events to draw residents and visitors to a waterway that was obscured and largely inaccessible for much of the city's history.